The Gephardt Institute hosted WashU’s first-ever Municipal Election polling place this month, advancing the institute’s commitment to drive voter participation in every election.
With support from a growing number of university partners and voter engagement efforts from the WashU Votes student group, Missouri’s Municipal Elections were held on Tuesday, April 2, and WashU was able to host a polling place on campus for WashU students, faculty, and staff, and other St. Louis County voters.
When the polls closed, more than 230 voters had cast ballots — exceeding St. Louis County Board of Elections expectations.
“Students have been able to vote on campus in the last several federal elections, and this year, thanks to support from the County Board of Elections and our university partners, we were able to do the same for our local St. Louis County races,” said Otto Brown, Civic Engagement Manager for the Gephardt Institute. “Hosting a nearby, easily accessed polling place for every election is a key step to building the habit of voting in our students.”
The polling place was held in the Danforth University Center (DUC), where direct access to parking made voting on campus as simple as possible for St. Louis County community members. Outside the DUC in Edison Courtyard, a “Party at the Polls” event was held, in which anyone — regardless of their eligibility or plans to vote — could enjoy snacks and music, pick up some Engage Democracy 2024 giveaways, and learn more ways to engage in democracy.
Students in WashU Votes registered fourteen people to vote at Party at the Polls, to ensure their ability to participate in elections later this year.
“These are people who will be ready and prepared to vote in future elections, including the August and November 2024 elections,” said Brown.
In the months leading up to the election, the WashU Votes student group worked to get the word out on campus, through a Canvass the Campus night in which they knocked on doors in residence halls, an event they hosted with voting rights activist LaTosha Brown, and through regular voter registration/information events in the Danforth University Center.
The Gephardt Institute’s collaboration with university partners in University Services and Campus Life made Election Day event more impactful. Parking & Transportation helped ensure that voters could easily park without financial barriers to vote, and Dining Services provided coffee in the morning and snow cones that afternoon at Party at the Polls.
“Being part of WashU means supporting our students and St. Louis. Serving for the Municipal Polling place allowed University Services to act on this commitment, and we look forward to future collaborations,” said Raven Lumpkins, Director of Marketing and Communications for University Services. Alongside Claire Conroy, Communications & Events Manager at Dining Services, Lumpkins worked closely with Gephardt Institute staff on the Municipal Election effort.
The Department of Campus Life provided venue support and student staff to help guide voters to the polling place, while countless WashU faculty and staff helped spread the word, backed by university leaders, some of whom cast their ballot in the DUC.
“Partnering with more departments and units is part of our overarching strategy for weaving civic and voter engagement into the fabric of the university,” said Brown. “It was really exciting to see a lot of inter-department efforts, too. Colleagues encouraged each other to go vote, groups of coworkers came to vote together, and those are actually best practices for making a voting a habit.”
WashU will next host a polling place for the General Election on Nov. 5, 2024, in the Athletics Complex.
The Gephardt Institute’s voter engagement strategy is part of the Engage Democracy Initiative. If you would like to make a gift to support voter engagement, please contact Colleen Watermon at cwatermon@wustl.edu. If you would like to get involved or have questions, please contact Otto Brown at otto@wustl.edu.